In Prayer: How the Lord taught us how to pray

And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Luke 11:2-4

In the passage above, Jesus is responding to His disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” What He said provides guidance for us.

We begin by addressing God as our Father, praising His Name, and praying for the advancement of His Kingdom. After that, we ask for our daily bread, address our sins and our relationships with others, and pray for protection from temptation.

The order in this prayer is significant. The request for daily bread comes before addressing sins, relationships, and dealing with temptation. Jesus wants us to realize that He is the One Who provides for us daily. Praying for our own daily physical needs is really spiritual, because it is an indication that we are depending on God and not on ourselves or someone else.

Living in a place where most people do not worry about where their next meal will come from, it is easy to neglect to pray, “Give us each day our daily bread.” Jesus tells us we need to come daily, with the confidence of a child, asking our Father for His provision for our daily needs.

In Prayer posts are reprinted from Samaritan Ministries prayer guides.